Free Hosted Social Network Solutions

There are a number of services that allow you to quickly build a social network without any hosting or software costs. There are:

• ning.com/
• kickapps.com/

What there services do is to allow you to register your community and create a basic site. with a unique URL. By directing your members to this URL you can immediately start building a profile.

There are back tools for administering the site.

In summary, its a quick and easy way of ruuning a social network however you loose control over advertising.

Open Source v Bespoke Systems

For many people loking to build a community and implement a social network – there are 2 main options.

1. Bespoke Software
2. Open source

There are pros can cons of both approaches.

Bespoke Software
By definition, bespoke software gives you exactly what you want. The reality is that vendors generally have a product they have developed and will re-implement for you with custom changes. The main downside is that you are tied to an individual vendor to support and maintain your system.

Open Source

There are a number of open source projects which can be used to implement social networks. Although there are some limitations with this approach – the software has been well used and refined and so offers alot for effectively no money. For on-going support there are a wider number of companies and developers who will be able to support and develop your system. This means that you are not tied to one vendor.

What is a social network?

Social networks attempt to replicate real world human social activity through the medium of the internet.

In the world people:

• Display a public persona
• Congregate around shared interests
• Discuss issues
• Make statements and share experiences
• Make recommendations
• Buy and sell things
• Make friends and introduce new ones

Social networks replicate these activities and because it is done through an abstract medium – actually make the process of making friends easier.

It can be argued that a friend on a social network is not the same as a friend in real life – and this is correct. The main reason for this is locality.

Olympic Logo

Forget about the controversy – the creative response to the new 2012 Olympic logo has been amazing.

On Facebook there are now over 166 groups on the subject and the BBC has been inundated with new designs even though there wasn’t a competition.

Maybe it was a shame the Olympic Committee in their infinite wisdom could not have created a site and tapped into this interest and un-tapped talent. It would have certainly helped the good will and community spirit plus it might have saved £400,000 to boot.